Friday, November 6, 2009

Decisions

H1N1. Chicken Pox vaccine. Doctor's visits. I should probably be disinfecting my doorknobs, but need to write at the moment!

Charlotte was sick this week. Started with cold symptoms on the weekend, runny nose and cough. Ended with a fever that sky-rocketed at night. Well, I should say ended with a fussy baby that would not stop crying until I carried her around and tried to make supper and do dishes and disinfect doorknobs all at once. She's sleeping, and I should be too, probably, but I had way too much coffee today and feel like my head is spinning!

Anyway, I coped this week by co-sleeping and breastfeeding (pretty much constantly for hours at a time) and a lovely meal that a special auntie made for us.

Every morning I faced the decision of whether to take her to the doctor. Every morning I phoned the wonderful receptionist who wrote down Charlotte's symptoms and consulted with our family doctor. (The nurse was out sick.) She said, "sound's like the flu that's going around"...Charlotte managed to get over it with some Tylenol, and loads of breastmilk. And lukewarm baths. That helped a lot.

Now I am faced with more decisions. H1N1? I've done so much reading and every time I come to a decision regarding the vaccine, I question it. Someone asks me pointed questions, and I just don't know what to do. Live in a box? Sometimes I feel like it.

Charlotte is scheduled for her deferred chicken pox vaccine on Monday. Again, so much reading and so many questions. I'm really not sure what to do.

I guess being a grown-up and mama means that you are responsible for these decisions. And they directly affect another life. And that's scary. I don't want to mess it up, you know?

1 comment:

Mama decisions are soooo hard!! Our boys both got the H1N1 vaccine and still wound up sick with it because they were exposed before their immunity kicked in. The good news is, they're both on the mend! Even Elijah with his asthma had a reasonably short illness, he got tamiflu due to the high risk of complications. (I think you saw all of this on facebook, but I can't remember - my brain is slightly fried at this point). We didn't do the chicken pox vax for either kiddo. I will admit, I'm kind of regretting it now... neither one of them has had chickenpox yet and I'm worried they'll get it when they're older - it's so much worse for teens/adults! I guess because it's included in the schedule now, there's not much chickenpox going around anymore. I know, I'm no help at all. I know you'll do what's best for Charlotte - you're a wonderful Mommy!